An Orchid's Lie
by Ziggy Pasta
Summary: Zack will stop at nothing to make it to 1st Class, even if it means lying to Angeal. But a harmless lie for the sake of getting good graces can easily backfire, and soon Zack finds himself in over his head when volunteering to house-sit for Angeal. Canon


An Orchid's Lie

By: Ziggy Pasta (aka LagunaNoJutsu)

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><p>Author's Note: This is for PhxDown on deviantART. It was part of SoynaAlbedosrequim's Easter Egg Exchange. PhxDown requested her gift be about Zack. I noticed she had a cute Zangeal picture, so here's some Zangeal! Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Mild narrative swearing, hints at possible AngealxZack if you look hard enough, but it's completely appropriate for all Zack and Angeal fans, no matter how you take 'em – gay, straight, or bromance.

Military terms used: 'Seabag', which is a long, sturdy, elongated canvas bag in which members of the military use for their gear and belongings.

'Liberty' which is just a term for time off or a day off.

'Bubba' which is a term of endearment for a fellow member of the military. Similar to the term 'grunt', but grunt is used as a derogatory term.

Disclaimer: All related Final Fantasy names and characters are copyrighted © by the almighty Square Enix. This story is all me, however. I do not profit from this endeavor, unless you consider lost sleep and plant research a form of profit. Enjoy.

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><p>Some called him persistent. Some called him successfully stubborn.<p>

Maybe some even called him _cut-throat_. But as a newly promoted 3rd Class SOLDIER, he had to be. He would stop at nothing for his dream to make it to 1st Class; and so toes were stepped on, limits were pushed, and perhaps a few white lies were told along the way.

There was nary a task or request that he didn't give his all to, or that he didn't follow through with, despite this. He was able to perform and get his job done, and even the jobs of his peers that were less fortunate to have the same drive as he did at times. He seemed to always know where the fine line between risky flukes and well-executed tactics resided both in and out of battle, and this impressed many of the upper class of SOLDIER – especially that of 1st Class Angeal Hewley.

He was young; he was vivacious and even charming, if not a little naïve.

Zack Fair had promise.

Or maybe there just wasn't anyone else crazy enough to accept this mission.

It was not quite a mission, per se, but Zack upheld it to be just as important – if not more important – than one that Shin-Ra would assign him. When he heard that Angeal would be deployed on a mission for three weeks and was in need of someone to care for his living quarters while he was gone, Zack jumped a little too eagerly at the chance. Not only did Zack greatly admire Angeal as both a SOLDIER and a man, but he heard of rumors that Angeal had been looking for someone to take under his wing for a while. It would be everything to Zack if Angeal would acknowledge him.

Angeal was wary to oblige at first, partly because Zack was but a new SOLDIER recruit, and partly because he had not disclosed that information with anyone but Genesis. Unbeknownst to Angeal, Zack had his ways of getting information, and especially when it could benefit his standing in SOLDIER.

His sneaky friend, Kunsel, was quite the asset at times.

Zack had also heard rumors in the past about how the 1st Class SOLDIER was quite particular about how he wanted his living quarters taken care of in his absence, and most attempts made by Angeal's previous apprentices resulted in dismal failures. Zack never understood why they had failed, or even how they _could_ fail. It was just house-sitting – how hard could it be? He knew that Angeal had a keen eye on him for a while now, and he could practically taste a promotion to 2nd Class every time Angeal praised him for his hard work, and so this could clench that promotion if he were to do well. Not only was he a fine SOLDIER, he was also responsible and could handle watching over Angeal's quarters for three weeks.

Finally, Angeal seemed to be swayed by Zack's confidence – nagging and begging – and agreed to allow him to be the one to care for his place while he was gone.

Zack was already imagining how he would look in a 2nd Class uniform.

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><p>The day of Angeal's deployment came faster than Zack could have imagined, and soon he found himself sauntering down the 1st Class SOLDIER floor in boyish excitement. He had never stepped foot on that floor before, let alone been granted such an honor as this. He had worked with Angeal in the past on several missions, but it always included others; and he also had been lucky to attend several swordsmanship demonstrations, to which Angeal had only invited a select few SOLDIERs, but he had never worked with him one-on-one. So now to be the only one trusted enough for something like this … well, Angeal truly must have been impressed.<p>

He reached Angeal's quarters and knocked, making sure that it was a confident and powerful knock. He was not scared; he was not nervous to be doing this. It was going to be an easy victory – one that required him to peek in every so often to make sure Genesis didn't sneak in to fill Angeal's bookcases with copies of LOVELESS, or something simple like that.

The door swung open and there Angeal stood, donned in full 1st Class SOLDIER uniform, sans his remarkable sword. It was a thrilling sight to see him without the distractions of others around, constantly pestering him with questions and sucking up to him to gain his favor. Angeal's eyes were no longer on anyone else, but now focused solely on him. It was a stern gaze, but Zack could tell it was probably just a front at first to see how serious he was about taking on this responsibility … at least Zack hoped.

This was his chance. This was his chance to get in good with him and hopefully become his next apprentice.

"You're late," Angeal said firmly.  
>Zack tried not to flinch; he had been expecting a different kind of greeting – maybe one filled with a bit more casual tone. Was he really that late? He refrained from glancing down at his wristwatch and stood at an erect attention. "Sorry, Angeal –" Could he call him Angeal, especially since he was going to be invited into his home? Should he have maybe called him 'sir'? "– sir, it won't happen again."<p>

Angeal just grunted and nodded, stepping aside for Zack to enter.

His place was quite large, and much different than Zack had expected. There was such sterility in most of Shin-Ra – cold, demanding, and stark in its décor; void of any sort of welcoming feel. Even the front lobby and museums where visitors were allowed to roam seemed temperate, but Zack always assumed that that was to send a clear signal to everyone to not take Shin-Ra lightly, even in its choice of interior design.

But Angeal's place was quite the opposite. It was rich with warm, earthy tones, and seemed effortlessly decorated with eclectic furniture that somehow brought the relaxed atmosphere together. Everything looked comfortable and simple – and certainly it looked easy to care for …

That was when Zack noticed that Angeal had a lot of plants.

A lot.

Kunsel didn't tell him about this.

In fact, it was a staggering amount and consisted of numerous kinds – some of which Zack had never even seen before. Perhaps they were imported from different towns, maybe even different continents, but one thing was for certain – Zack knew not a thing about caring for plants.

Not a thing.

Now the failures of his predecessors were beginning to make sense.

But he would be damned if he allowed some silly flower or potted plant to ruin his chance at becoming top SOLDIER. There was one thing that his predecessors lacked, and that was his motivation and his determination. And so he brushed his initial shock aside and thought back to when he lived in his hometown of Gongaga, and how he would watch his mom care for some of the plants that they had in their home.

Water and sun, that was all they seemed to ever need.

"Zack, are you listening?"

Zack glanced away from staring transfixed on a grouping of plants near a window. He looked back to Angeal who was standing with his arms folded across his chest and a very unimpressed look chiseled in his face. "Yeah, I'm listening, sir. I just noticed that you have … a lot of plants."

"That's what I'm trying to explain to you."

Zack swallowed hard, sheepishly. He righted his attention back to Angeal as they moved about his quarters. Angeal continued to explain about each and every type, and how often certain types needed to be watered each day. Some were watered every day, some were every other, and even a few tiny ones needed to be watered twice a day since they were newly transplanted.

"Maybe you should be writing this down," Angeal said when Zack's face started to turn from confident to slightly overwhelmed.

That look quickly disappeared and was replaced with eagerness. "No, sir, I got this. It'll be a piece of cake. Water and sun, rinse and repeat. Right?"

Angeal smirked and let out a single, almost sarcastic chuckle. "Right. Water and sun." There was a pause, and that smirked widened just a bit. "All right, then. Let's move on."

They continued still, moving from corner to corner, even to the bathroom where a vine-type plant resided on the counter. Zack's head was starting to swim with the different names and all the information he needed to know to care for them. His nerves were beginning to be rattled, and his confidence shaken. Maybe he had bit off more than he could chew.

Whether Angeal noticed Zack's sinking demeanor, Zack was unsure. They then moved to Angeal's bedroom where a very lithe and elegant plant sat on one of his nightstands flanking his bed. It was in a simple, white pot, and its single stem was tall and arched. It held two rather large and oddly-shaped flowers at the end. They were vibrantly purple with splashes of white and yellow in the center, and the leaves of the plant were at the base – wide and long, and just as elegant as the flowers itself. He noticed that the pot was sitting on a tray with water, and there was no soil, but the plant sat in what looked like tree bark. Admittedly, Zack could not recall ever seeing anything like this before.

"It's very dear to me," Angeal said with pride as they approached it fully.

"Why's that?" Zack asked, poking at one of the flowers lightly, watching as it shook the entire stem with just that tiny touch. He retracted his hand when he felt Angeal's eyes boring into him. "Someone special give it to you?"

"No, nothing like that." Angeal chuckled quietly. "I admire it for its symbolism."

"Symbolism, huh?" Zack frowned thoughtfully, but asked no more; Angeal was known for his lengthy lectures and lessons, and Zack's brain was full to bursting with useless plant information at this point. But at least he should give Angeal the courtesy of learning its name. "What kind is it, anyway?"

"A Gongagan Orchid."

"Gongagan?" Zack whirled around excitedly, his face alight with his own pride now. "I'm from Gongaga! I thought I recognized this flower!" That was a lie, but he wanted to prove to Angeal that he could handle this, and if connecting with him and his silly flower on this level would help with that, then so be it.

That smirk was back on Angeal's face. "Oh? Then you know all about it then?"

"Yeah! My mom used to have these all over our house. There were so many that dad used to complain that there was no room for him to sit!"

"Your mother must have had quite the green thumb. They can be difficult to care for."

"Nah, mom had it down! And she even taught me a few things about them."

Angeal waited for Zack to elaborate, but when he didn't – couldn't – he asked, "Such as?"

Zack fidgeted for just a moment, then forced himself to beam at Angeal with perhaps too much assurance. "Water and sun, rinse and repeat!" he said, and that was all he could say.

"Splendid," Angeal said slowly. "It seems that you don't need me to go over how to properly care for this special plant, since you already know all about them," he said, and Zack caught a mixture of skepticism and what could have been offense in his tone. "I shall leave you to it then." He turned and walked over to his closet, pulling out a seabag that was packed and ready to go, and then his sword followed. A few moments of adjusting the straps on the bag, and he began to head down the hall and to the front door.

"W-wait, where are you going?" Zack asked, trotting after him.

"My mission, of course," he said coolly. He handed Zack the key-card to his quarters and with that smirk, he said, "The misting bottle is under the sink. See you in three weeks."

The door shut, and Zack stood surrounded by plants that all seemed to suddenly be begging him for water.

"Misting bottle …?"

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><p>After a few days, Zack was not regretting taking this responsibility, but he was regretting his overconfidence. Perhaps he should have been honest with Angeal and admitted he knew nothing of caring for plants.<p>

His only day of liberty that week was dedicated to the care of Angeal's plants instead of training for SOLDIER like how he liked to do with his free time. Rather, most of that day was trying to _remember_ which plant needed to be watered, and in the end he just opted to water all of them. It took a while for Zack to go back and forth from sink to plant with the watering can, and he did try different methods beforehand. At first he tried bringing the plant from its home to the sink, but when he walked back to place it where it belonged, he noticed that water and soil would drip from it. He was baffled at first, as he was walking as steady as he could and it should not have spilled over, but after a few trips he realized that there were holes drilled into the bottom of the pots.

What was the point of watering them when the water would just drain out the bottom?

Next he tried to fill the sink with as many plants as he could and wait for the water to drain, but it was proving to be too time consuming with too little counter space, and soon he forgot which plant belonged where. He was assuming that each belonged in a certain spot for just the right amount of sun, but now he was turned around and confused. After about an hour of rearranging and carefully trying to decide where each belonged, he decided to leave them where they were now, and if they looked bad the next day, he would simply move them around again. That was when he just stuck with using the watering can for the remainder.

Tired and frustrated, he deemed them well-watered and well taken care of for now, and went to leave. He turned at the front door before walking out to take one last look, and finally saw the extent of the mess he had made while carrying the dripping plants back and forth. The carpet in the living room as well as the tile in the kitchen was littered with trails and trails of muddy splotches, as well as smeared, dirty shoe prints marking his bumbling around. He spent the rest of his free time rummaging through Angeal's kitchen cabinets for carpet cleaner in a panic, then going to the store to purchase some when he could not find any, and then on his hands and knees scrubbing the carpet of the stains until they looked clean enough.

He finally left with dirt beneath his fingernails and smelling of carpet cleaner.

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><p>A few missions of his own had caused him to be unable to return to Angeal's living quarters until the next week. He was nervous opening that door, afraid that he would be staring face to face with a room of dead plants, but as he entered he was quite relieved. They all looked green and very much alive. Even the carpet had dried and showed barely any evidence of previously being filthy.<p>

Upon further inspection, he saw that a few plants did have browning leaves, but they could have been there before, and so he plucked those off and disposed of them. Then he stood back and admired his handiwork. There really was nothing to this whole plant thing. Maybe his predecessors didn't fail, but rather they didn't take it as seriously as Zack had been doing, or at least trying. Perhaps he had been expecting too much at first, and perhaps Angeal had only been exaggerating over his plants to put the fear in him so he would do a good job – like some sort of test.

He didn't need fear to get him to do a good job; he only needed his own dream and motives to do that … but of course, he also didn't want to disappoint Angeal.

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><p>More missions and more training came, and Zack was starting to worry about not <em>when<em> he could get over to Angeal's place, but _if_ he could. Work seemed to pile on top of him, and every day that passed by and he was unable to check in, images of decaying and withered plants assaulted his mind. It had him paranoid and turning into a worrier; he wasn't used to being either of those.

The start of the third week finally rolled around, and the first moment he had to check, he did. When the elevators moved too slow for him, he ran up twenty flights of stairs in his impatience and had to re-slide the key-card to allow the electronic lock to register it, since he had slid it too quickly the first five times. He stumbled in.

Everything seemed normal, but he still went around to each plant and inspected them closely, nearly biting his nails as he approached each one. He racked his brain in trying to remember what Angeal had said about them, but most of what he could remember was his own words over and over again.

_Water and sun, rinse and repeat._

Luckily he was not eating his words that day. Whatever he was doing was continuing to work, and they looked relatively fine. He was fairly certain that they could hold out for a few more days under his care until Angeal came back … so long as Angeal's mission didn't run for longer than originally ordered. Anything longer and he might have a graveyard of plants on his hands.

But now he only had soil on his hands, and he was happy with that. To ease his worry he decided to water a few that looked a little dry – mostly the ones sitting near the windows throughout the kitchen that got the most sun throughout the day. To ease even more of his worry, he then decided to just water the rest.

After he was done, he noticed that there was a bit of loose soil tracked on the carpet from the mess he had created on the first day. The carpet was long since dry, so he decided that he should vacuum it up. That led to Zack vacuuming the rest of the carpet, and then down the hall. Angeal would be tired when he came back from his mission, and so the least he could do was make sure he came home to a clean, soil-free house.

He pushed the vacuum into his bedroom and flicked on the light. Immediately his eyes fell on the Gongagan Orchid. In his worry to care for the majority of the plants in the living area, he had forgotten about this one. He had forgotten it completely. For quite some time he stood in the doorway, his hand still on the light switch, his eyes still glued on the orchid. Angeal was going to kill him.

One flower now lay shriveled on the nightstand. The other sagged lifelessly, barely hanging on by its weakening stem. The colors were faded; the water on the tray dried up, and everything was showing signs of his neglect. The only remaining bit of life left in it were the large, green leaves. Maybe those were the last to go, but Zack would try his hardest to try to bring it back to life.

He scrambled to the bathroom with the poor plant, the remaining flower wobbling pathetically as he carried it. Even there in the bathroom he saw the vine-type plant sitting on the counter – it too neglected, but it looked better off than the orchid. He watered both and was unsure of how much to give the orchid that sat in the strange bark, and if the water that he had seen in the tray was from the water draining from the pot, or if it was there for another purpose. Once placed back on the tray – now with water – panic really started to set in when he picked up the fallen flower. By the look of the remaining flower, the plant was sure to die.

'Water and sun, rinse and repeat' only worked if one actually _remembered _to do that.

A long time passed of Zack pacing about Angeal's place, trying to decide what to do. He had days-worth of missions ahead of him, and only so many more until Angeal returned. In fact, Angeal was sure to return before Zack's next scheduled day of liberty, so he had to act fast. And the only resolution to his problem he was able to think of was to find a replacement. Plain and simple.

He left the building carrying the fallen flower in his palm, and set out to find the nearest nursery.

That proved more difficult than he thought. Plants were rare in Midgar, and especially flowers. In fact, after searching through several sectors and asking around, he learned that there was only one nursery in all of Midgar, and that was located in Sector 3 – completely on the other side of where he was now. The sun was setting and the inhabitants of the city were migrating back to their homes, and he could only assume by the time the train got him there that the nursery would be closed. Maybe he could try tomorrow, but the chances of the nursery having this exact orchid in this exact color was probably slim. The chance of Zack actually having time to go look was even more slim.

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><p>Somehow he had found time to find the nursery the next day, but only because he had been ordered to Sector 3 on a stroke of luck when reports of monsters lurking about were called in. He had never been so thankful for a monster attack, and he disposed of them faster than he had ever done so, then ran straight for the nursery still with monster blood on his broadsword and his uniform.<p>

But it had been in vain. As suspected the nursery did not have Gongagan orchids, and only then did he learn about how rare they actually were since they were both imported and hard to grow in captivation. The plant was native to the moist, humid jungles of Gongaga, and actually grew on the base of tree trunks and exposed roots. That was why they were kept in bark and with the tray of water beneath it – all to simulate its natural habitat. Perhaps this was why he had never actually seen one growing up in Gongaga, or perhaps he just didn't have a reason to notice as a child.

He hoped that Angeal didn't know this bit of information, as he would surely know that Zack had been lying. But as knowledgeable as Angeal seemed in each of his plants, this possibility only served to weigh heavy on Zack's conscience.

The week was drawing to a fast close, and he began to get desperate. He was able to check in on Angeal's living quarters for a moment – not even long enough to care for all the plants – and to his horror he saw that the remaining flower on the orchid now lay as a browning, shriveled heap where the previous had lain.

The orchid was nothing but a single twig – naked and dead because of his carelessness. And he knew that he too would be dead because of this … at the very least, his dream would be.

"Stupid orchid," Zack muttered to the deceased plant. "Dreamwrecker!" He glared at it for a while, then plopped down on Angeal's bed in defeat, cupping his hands over his face. "Idiot," he muttered to himself.

With only less than a day left, Zack could do nothing but accept his fate. Maybe vowing that he would find Angeal a new orchid one day would possibly suffice, but somehow he doubted it. He never did ask Angeal why it was so dear to him, and only now he realized that, and he reflected on it. Maybe someone special really did give it to him, but Angeal had been too embarrassed to admit to it. Maybe it reminded him of someone he cared about, or some place he loved … or some point in time that symbolized something happy, or maybe even something that had been tragic.

Maybe it was a symbol for its own tragic end, as well as Zack's in SOLDIER.

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><p>Trying not to lament over everything had been hard that night, and normally one as energetic as Zack stuck out like a sore thumb when suddenly down. His friend Kunsel had noticed immediately. Being the sharp and wise individual that he was, he seemed to connect Zack's dejected attitude with the responsibility he had taken on three weeks prior. And when asked, Zack had confirmed his suspicions with an outpour of concerns about the damn orchid and his future in Shin-Ra because of it. Kunsel listened with sympathetic ears, although Zack could tell he probably wanted to crack a smile during. Zack really couldn't blame him. He did feel somewhat silly to be thinking all this over a plant, but it was more than just that.<p>

"I think Kalm has a nursery," Kunsel said once Zack had explained how he had checked Midgar's only nursery for the same orchid. Kunsel wasn't much of an expert on plants as he was on secret and seedy Shin-Ra affairs, but he seemed to have a well-rounded knowledge on most subjects. Zack could always count on him to help with information like this, and he nearly kicked himself for not having asked Kunsel to begin with.

The only problem was that Kalm was a four-hour drive, about two if flown by helicopter. But either modes of transportation were not available to him – at least not for personal use. His only option was to try and take a mission to Kalm.

Together they searched the mission database for anything that would take Zack to Kalm, or at least nearby. Surges of monster attacks, Wutaian spies hiding in caves, materia collection – anything and everything; no stone was left unturned in their search.

Zack had a hard time controlling his sudden excitement when they came upon a mission that would take him straight to Kalm, but there were two downsides. One was that the entire mission would probably overlap the time when Angeal would return, and the other was that it was being a SOLDIER escort for the head of the Weapons Development Department – Scarlet.

Not only was this woman both strict and downright rude, she had the most annoying laugh that was shrill and caused the blood in his eardrums to vibrate whenever he heard it. But it would be worth dealing with that if it meant to remedy the situation.

It was worth the risk. He signed up for the mission without much of a second thought, and hoped for the best come morning time.

And the best came in the form of a waiting helicopter and an impatient, snobby Scarlet. The grueling flight to the city of Kalm was bearable, even with the teeth-gritting sound of Scarlet filing her nails and nit-picking everything around them for two hours. The premise of the mission itself wasn't so bad either – it was mostly this woman inspecting the weapons shop to make sure that no Shin-Ra weapons were being illegally sold there, and to make sure they did not have technology that Shin-Ra lacked.

The rest of the mission was following the damn woman around the city and window-shopping. On company time.

At least he was getting paid for it.

It was torturous, however, as Zack could no longer count how many times they had passed by the nursery during her shopping escapade. Each time they passed, he would press his face against the glass and frantically search through what he could see before Scarlet snapped at him to pay attention and to get back to guarding her. Guarding her from what, he did not know.

He was starting to worry that she would not allow him but a free moment to look, but once she stopped in front of a lingerie shop, he gave her a rather disturbed grimace and so she waved him off after dictating that he had fifteen minutes to himself. He sprinted to the nursery and nearly knocked down the front door in his haste.

This nursery was significantly larger than the one in Midgar, and definitely had more plants than Angeal certainly had. He headed straight for the outdoor area, and passed by many that he now recognized from the ones in Angeal's quarters, but Zack only had eyes for orchids.

Five minutes passed in his search …

Ten minutes …

He frantically walked through each row, stepping over water puddles and hoses strewn across the ground, dodging overhead misters that turned on without warning, passing by plants of all shapes and sizes and varieties until he had scoured the outside area completely. So he headed back inside the main shop with his hope beginning to dip.

It had to have been fifteen minutes by now. And sure enough when Zack glanced out the front windows he could see Scarlet standing outside the lingerie shop across the way, glancing around for him in the most visibly huffy manner. He had come this far already – this woman could damn well wait.

And wait she did, for Zack had finally spotted the familiar elegance of the orchids … right beneath the window he had pressed his face against that whole time; he could see his hand prints right above them on the glass. There were different types there, some with a whole string of cascading flowers, and some with only a select few. Each was beautiful in its own way, and Zack was starting to see why Angeal had taken such a liking to them.

He soon caught on to the fact that each plant had its own tag that contained its name and care instructions. But what had caught his eye was the _price. _They were … insanely expensive. And the more beautiful blooms it had, the more costly the price became. And it was bittersweet when he finally came upon a Gongagan Orchid – simple and yet dramatic with its vibrant flowers – because he had found a perfect replacement in size and color, save for the fact that this one held a third flower, but the price was frightening for his wallet. He was a newly-promoted 3rd Class, after all, and so his pay was a little more than feeble.

Although he didn't take up too much time debating just how he would eat for the next two weeks if he were to spend all his gil there, and so he set the replacement orchid on the counter with the entire contents of his wallet following after. He finished paying after declining the purchase of a misting bottle to go along with it, now having realizing that that was what Angeal was talking about when he had left, and the two-hour ride back home with the nagging Scarlet was much more enjoyable with this damn orchid in his lap.

He only had minutes to spare – he knew this when he disembarked from the helicopter and caught wind of an embark bubba preparing for the arrival of Angeal's helicopter in the minutes following. He had never run so fast and so haphazardly through the building as he did at that moment. He even ignored Scarlet shouting at him from the helipad saying that he needed to attend a debriefing on the mission, as well as fill out mandatory paperwork.

It now took him ten tries to get the electronic lock to register his sliding of the key-card, and he nearly kicked the door to Angeal's quarters open instead. He would rather receive flack for a damaged door than what he would receive for the dead orchid. Not that a damaged door would be any easier to explain away.

How he would explain away anything at this point was beyond him. He was now acting purely on instinct as he scrambled inside and did a frantic sweep of inspection on each of the plants. He didn't spend too much time looking at them, but now he was starting to second-guess the placement of each of them. He shuffled several around quickly to where he thought they looked most natural, and then headed straight to the bedroom.

All he had to do was switch them and dispose of the dead one, and all before Angeal even stepped foot inside. Hopefully Zack would be two floors down by the time that he did return home, and hopefully Zack would not have to see Angeal for quite some time afterwards, at least until Zack had the gall to face him again.

He plucked off that third flower – and felt horrible doing it – and stuffed it into his pocket, then switched it with the dead one. It was a bit sad seeing that the dead one was still showing signs of lingering life, as the leaves were still green and the stem still sturdy, and Zack was dreading the final disposal of it. Come to think of it, where would he throw it away?

The front door shut.

Angeal was back.

Zack filled the eerie silence after Angeal entered with a long string of whispered swears, and in a panic he took a moment looking between the two orchids. In thoughtless desperation he shoved the dead orchid in darkest corner of Angeal's closet. Maybe he wouldn't notice – it was dark after all, even with the tiny ceiling lamp on. But now he was faced with the problem of how to retrieve the plant in the next few days so Angeal wouldn't eventually find it.

Angeal's key-card … Zack could leave in a rush and take the key-card with him. Angeal obviously had a spare, so entering when Angeal was in training or in a meeting would be easy. He would be safe, and everything would work out. He would be eventually promoted, and he wouldn't ever have to deal with something as convoluted as this … at least not revolving around a damn orchid.

He took only a few seconds to compose himself by smoothing out his uniform and wiping the sweat from his brow, and he exited the bedroom.

Angeal was at the door and instantly guilt washed over him.

"Hello, Zack," Angeal said, glancing up at him as his seabag slipped off his shoulder and landed on the carpet with a thump. He looked very tired and very ill-tempered at the moment. Zack swallowed nervously.

"Sir, welcome back," he said, walking over in what he hoped was a casual manner. "The mission go okay?"

"It went miserably." Angeal finally looked up and his eyes began to trail around his place, passing over Zack as each plant was inspected from afar. He finally fixed his gaze on Zack, and that ill-tempered look melted just a bit. "It's good to see that things here went better."

"T-told you, it was a piece of cake," Zack said with what he hoped was an equally casual shrug, even though his nervousness was through the roof. "But you look tired, I'll get out of your hair."

Zack started for the door with a forced chuckle, and his eyes honed in on the doorknob. He could get away, and he would come back soon for the dead plant.

"My key-card, Zack." Angeal held out his hand as Zack was nearly past him and out the door. Zack stopped dead in his tracks, the color draining from his face, which he tried to distract Angeal from noticing with another forced laugh. "O-of course. Got it right here, sir." His hand shook as it dipped inside the trousers of his uniform, and reluctantly it was brought out and deposited in Angeal's waiting hand.

Angeal took it slowly, distractedly. He held that same hand out to stop Zack from leaving again and moved forward, his eyes cast down on the floor. "You got soil on my carpet."

Zack whipped around with him, but still inched towards the door. "Y-yeah, about that –"

"And then you tried to clean it." Angeal pointed to the can of carpet cleaner that Zack had left out on the kitchen table near the majority of the stains. He had forgotten to put that away.

"W-well, I couldn't just leave it a mess. Or … hide it."

Angeal looked back at him and nodded. "Accidents happen. I'll refund you for the price of the carpet cleaner. I already have some in the linen closet near the bathroom."

Zack flinched at the word 'closet'. "N-no, it's really not a big deal, sir." Actually, he could use the money now. "But look, Angeal, sir, I really do have to go –"

"Of course, thank you, Zack. You have done well."

How that pained him to hear that.

He started to back out, but Angeal's voice now was what had stopped him.

"Oh, and, Zack?"

Zack poked his head back in, surely pale and surely nervous-looking. He just wanted to high-tail it out of there before Angeal somehow noticed that his orchid was an imposter.

"A few of them aren't in the right spot." He pointed to one that Zack had left on the kitchen counter, and then to one that sat on top of the television. "Switch the arrowhead vine with the Wutaian evergreen. The vine goes on the television. The evergreen goes on the entrance table by the front door. Oh, and the Corel violet you left on the coffee table – that goes on the windowsill in the kitchen."

"R-right, sure. Of course." Zack moved swiftly through the living room and kitchen, and as he began to rearrange them as instructed, he heard Angeal entering his bedroom down the hallway. His heart lurched in his chest when he heard the closet door open as Angeal placed his seabag and sword inside.

Zack practically tossed the evergreen onto the entrance table as he dove for the doorknob. He fumbled and his hand shook violently, but he was able to open the door and start to slip through.

"Zack?"

He nearly yelped at the voice, and he turned to see Angeal standing behind him, holding the imposter orchid. He didn't look mad; perhaps he had not seen the dead one as he put away his belongings.

"You must have inherited your mother's green thumb," he said simply, so simply that Zack began to try and pick out any hidden tones in his voice to interpret where this was headed, yet he was unable to get anything out of it.

But why would he be standing there holding the plant? Why would he say something like that? Oh gods, he knew. He _knew._ Zack was absolutely certain that he had found one that was the same exact type with the same color and everything. He had even plucked off one of the flowers so it only had two like the original had. And yet, Angeal _knew._

"It's a gift of mine … I guess," Zack said slowly, tremulously.

"It must be, because I would be expecting for my orchid to have lost its flowers by now."

Zack's mind began to reel, and he was no longer able to hold his confident expression. His jaw became slack. "Expect? I don't … what?"

"This type of orchid will lose their flowers around this time of year."

"They … do?"

"Yes. And they will re-bloom the following year."

Zack was expecting Angeal to question him; to ask him why he didn't seem to know that that commonly happened for this type of plant, especially since he had claimed to be such an expert. But he didn't. Angeal just stood patiently and stared at him with a hint of what Zack could hope was a warm smile. And that hint of a smile quickly broke him down.

"You found the original one, didn't you?" Zack blurted, his shoulders drooping in defeat.

"I did. Unlike the stains on the carpet, you didn't try to hide this one very well."

They stood there in silence for what felt like an excruciating hour, and Angeal finally beckoned Zack back in with a wave of his hand. "Please, shut the door."

He was in for it now.

Zack obeyed and shut the door behind him with such obvious agony. He shuffled forward with his head aimed down and prepared himself for what was going to be a long, long lecture. "Sorry, A-Angeal … erm, sir. I t-thought it was dead, and I panicked."

"Obviously." Angeal paused, looking as though he were trying to understand what had happened and what had possibly went through Zack's head during all this. He eventually spoke, and it was an understanding tone, but still held firm. "You must have gone through great lengths to find this plant. They are rare, and very expensive."

"W-well … the cost didn't mean anything to me," he said slowly, honestly. "Not when I knew you would've been disappointed."

"Disappointed in you, or that my plant was 'dead'?"

"Both. But … more in me," he muttered honestly. "I wasn't expecting a damn plant to lie to me like that."

"If well taken care of," Angeal began, taking a step closer to Zack and holding the plant out to him. Zack took it slowly, and stared down at it, almost pouting. "… they are loyal with their blooms. And despite their _lie_, they remain true and honest when the time comes. They will reward their caretaker for their hard efforts each year with new flowers. I can always trust that my dedication to this orchid will be rewarded."

"I-I see what you mean now … by its symbolism."

"Yes, it's a trusted friend."

Zack hung his head even more now, nearly burying his face in the petals of the orchid. "I guess compared to your orchid, I'm second-rate," he murmured.

Angeal suddenly laughed, his hand reaching out and dropping onto Zack's head. Zack tensed and squeezed his eyes shut, but when Angeal's hand began to ruffle his hair affectionately, he looked up into a very compassionate expression. He nearly began to shake with relief.

"Not second-rate, no." He pulled his hand away, still smiling down at him. "Although … you could take some lessons from it."

"But it lied to me," Zack mumbled bitterly.

"Technically, you lied to me first."

He hung his head again with a dramatic sigh, but said nothing else. He had no defense.

Angeal reached out and gave him a friendly clap on his shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work, Zack. And thank you for the second orchid," he said, taking the plant from Zack's hands gently. "I'm sure they will both do well here."

Zack silently nodded and turned to leave, unable to look him in the eye still.

"And, Zack?"

He stopped, and if Angeal stopped him one more time as he tried to leave, he was about to have a nervous breakdown – all because of a stupid orchid.

"Congratulations."

Zack finally looked at him with wide, unblinking eyes, his jaw slack once again. "Huh?"

"As deceiving as an orchid may be, it's also reliable and consistent. You showed that you have some dedication, seeing that the rest of my plants are still _alive_. And you have enough honor to admit to your mistake, even if it was at the last minute. But I trust that you won't make the same mistake in the future with me."

"A-Am I …" Zack stepped forward, his body now shaking from excitement. "… Am I being promoted to 2nd Class or something!"

"Hardly," Angeal said with a chuckle, then smirked when Zack's eagerness deflated. "But you will be attending private lessons with me, starting Monday."

"For SOLDIER?" he said, nearly shrieking. That eagerness was back in full force again. To think that this entire situation had actually worked in his favor was astonishing; he could hardly believe it. Now regret and guilt were the last things on his mind.

"No. A lesson in plant care."

Zack's smile died, and he stared at Angeal incredulously. "You-you're kidding … right?"

"I am not. I'll need someone knowledgeable in the future to take care of my plants when I'm away, and seeing how you've done a decent job here, I'd like you to learn more. An apprentice, if you will."

Angeal bid Zack goodnight with a chuckle when he was unable to say anything in return, and he finally slipped out in stunned shock. This was not the apprenticeship he was hoping for.

Yes, Zack Fair indeed had promise.

* * *

><p>~*~*~ End ~*~*~<p>

Ending Author's Note: *cues the obligatory, sappy bonding scene music from "Full House"* AW. LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNED.

LOL But yeah, seriously, I'm sure that music would be really appropriate during Angeal's lecture. BUT YEAH AGAIN. THIS WAS THE FASTEST ONE-SHOT I'VE EVER WRITTEN, LIKE FOR SERIOUS. Took me about a day and a half. But it's actually something I've been wanting to write for a year now (my original idea had Cloud included bumbling around with Zack, but then I thought it would be cuter with just a young and eager-to-please puppy!Zack), and this was the perfect opportunity to write it since it's a gift ficcie. :3 And yes, I know the whole premise isn't very original, but young, puppy!Zack is just too cute to not watch squirm under Angeal's presence. And what cuter a way to do this than to write him getting caught like a puppy chewing his master's slippers?

And if I remember right, Angeal actually does have a love for plants. I think I remember reading in an e-mail during the game that Angeal has a specialty making gourmet meals with leftovers, and he has a love for plants. Or something like that. I dunno. Just accept it.

"As deceiving as an orchid may be, it is also reliable and loyal … and makes a great addition to my bedroom." – You don't know how hard it was for me to not write that. I was trying to keep this as canon as possible, but my inner yaoi fangirl was trying to break through. DAMN MY INNER YAOI FANGIRL.

And yes, orchids are a bitch to take care of. At least, they are for me. And by orchid I actually mean orchid and not as a symbol for Zack. Although I image with Zack, he'd be "hard" to "take care of" if you get my drift … hurr durr huuuurrrr. And by "hard" I mean his penis and by "take care of" I mean sex. :B

THANK YOU FOR READING AND STUFF.


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